The Exchange Student
by Spikerox
Summary: A Death MArked Love chalenge. i know it's been done before but it's my own twist of the story. Buffy and her family get and exchange student and guess who it is? Spike of course. AU. WIP New chapters 20-24 added
1. Unwanted Arrivals

The Exchange Student  
  
A Death Marked Love challenge: -  
  
Summary: Buffy and her family get a foreign exchange student for two semesters (I changed it to a whole year) and guess who it is? It's Spike of course and he and Buffy hate each other at first and then they start to like each other. But her father hates the idea of Buffy and Spike together because he's a bad influence on her. Must have:  
  
-AU B/S fic  
  
-Buffy can be the slayer or not  
  
-Spike is human, but still has his "bad boy" image  
  
-the Scoobies  
  
-Dawn can exist in the fic or not (writer's decision)  
  
-Buffy is a junior and Spike is a senior  
  
-Buffy visits Spike in England  
  
Thanks to Jo my beta reader and my friend Hattie for all the help. My grammars getting better honest. *g*  
  
Everyone is human; there's no vampires or hellmouth. I really screwed with the characters, especially Dawn; but I think they're good changes. Plus plenty of characters popping up in the most unlikely places.  
  
I don't own any of the characters. I just borrow them from Joss and anyone else who is involved in the making of Buffy.  
  
If you want to use any of my fanfics on other websites, just let me know your taking them at spikerox@yahoo.co.uk  
  
~~~~  
  
Unwanted Arrivals  
  
Buffy sighed heavily and crossed her arms. She wanted to be at the mall, hanging out with Willow and Cordelia or at the Expresso Pump with Kendra or at the park with Xander and Angel. But instead she was stuck at the airport, with her parents and little sister waiting for the stupid exchange student to show up.  
  
"When's he gonna get here?" Dawn asked. Buffy glared at Dawn out of the corner of her eye; it was her fault that this guy was coming in the first place. She had been the one that had agreed with their Mom and Dad to sign up with the foreign exchange programme.  
  
"Look's like he's not coming," Buffy suggested. "I'm going to the mall, my cell phone's on if you want me." She turned and started to walk away.  
  
"I'm so glad that you're enthusiastic about William coming, Buffy," Joyce said sarcastically, raising an eyebrow at her oldest daughter. "You have to whole summer to go to the mall."  
  
"He's here," Dawn announced as she started to fiddle with her jet-black hair.  
  
Buffy turned around, looking totally unimpressed, to see her father greeting the stranger that would be invading her house for a whole year. She scanned him up and down and took an instant disliking for him; he had bottle blonde hair and was dressed all in black. *Dawn's gonna get on with him* She thought.  
  
Buffy had worked very hard to almost own the High School, leaving it very easy for Dawn to take over the Junior High and follow in her footsteps at being the most popular girl in school. But no, Dawn didn't want to be popular. Dawn wanted to dress in black and hang around at bars like the Fish Tank and listen to Slipknot music.  
  
"Hello William," Joyce smiled. "How was the flight?"  
  
He didn't answer, just shrugged his shoulders. "It's Spike." He said through clenched teeth. "I ain't been called William since I was seven." Buffy rolled her eyes at his stupid nickname; it sounded more like a dog's name then a person's.  
  
"I'm sorry," Joyce apologised. Buffy coughed quietly, hinting for attention. "Spike, these are our daughters, Dawn," Dawn smiled, a rare thing for her, "and Buffy." Buffy didn't move; she kept the same bored expression on her face.  
  
"Pleased to meet you too, Pet," Spike mumbled under his breath, just loud enough for Buffy to here. She through him a glare that could kill someone.  
  
"Daddy, can I go now?" She asked impatiently. "I need to go to the mall to get a new dress for the Bronze tonight."  
  
"Buffy," Hank Summers said sternly. "I already told you, you're not going to the Bronze tonight. We're all going out to the Grape Vine for a meal."  
  
"But, Daddy!" Buffy moaned. "I promised everyone that I'd be there. If I'm not there. it'll be like the end of the world."  
  
"I'm sure it won't, sweetie," Hank reassured. Buffy didn't believe him. 


	2. First Conversations

First Conversations  
  
  
  
Buffy sat cross-legged on her bed, typing her diary on her laptop. She had stomped off to her room after she had shown Spike to his room; he could find the rest of the house himself.  
  
She was just writing about how unfair it was that she wasn't allowed to go to the Bronze tonight when there was a tap on her door. Before she could ask who it was, Spike came in.  
  
Buffy instantly snapped her laptop shut, she didn't want him reading her diary.  
  
"What?" She asked rudely.  
  
"You're Mum told me to tell you that you can go to this club tonight," Spike said before turning to leave the room.  
  
"Wait," Buffy called. "What's the catch? How come we aren't going to the stupid restaurant?"  
  
"How the bloody hell am I suppose to know," he shrugged. "She also said that you have to take me with you." Buffy looked horrified.  
  
"No, no, no, no, no!" Buffy shook her head. "You can not come with me, my friends, they would dis-own me."  
  
"Look, Pet," Spike growled. "I don't really want me to be here either, but it's a hell of a lot better than staying in the Home I escaped from. So I'm here for a whole year when you bloody like it or not."  
  
"Well, I don't like it," she said. "Tell my Mom I'll be in the pool if anyone calls." Buffy stormed out the room.  
  
"You have a pool?!" Spike exclaimed as she ran down the stairs.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Spike had decided to have a search around the house. Buffy wasn't gonna show him and Joyce and Hank had both gone back out to work and Dawn was in her room, whichever one that was.  
  
So far, he had found; a kitchen, dinning room, two sitting rooms, a library, a pool (complete with Buffy sleeping on a sun bed), a games room, another two spare room, four bathrooms, Joyce and Hank's room and Buffy's room. There was still the whole third floor left to search.  
  
He opened the first door on the left. There was a shriek as he stepped in. He'd found Dawn's room.  
  
"Sorry." He apologised.  
  
"It's ok. You can stay if you want." She said, he came in at sat down next to her on the bed. "It's just, no-one but me has seen my room for about two years now. Plus I watched Scream yesterday.  
  
"Cool movie," Spike said noticing the Slipknot and death posters covering the walls. "Your rooms very different to most eleven year olds'"  
  
"I'm not like most eleven year olds'," Dawn replied.  
  
"Never would have guessed." Spike joked. Dawn smiled and looked round at her posters.  
  
"Mom and Dad hate them and they hate me dressing like this," she said, looking down at her black Doc Martins, yellow tights, black studded mini- skirt and Linkin Park hoody. "And they hate the stuff I do. I've been arrested three times."  
  
"Three!" Spike sounded impressed. "I'd only been in once at your age. But know I'm at the grand total of five."  
  
"Five!" Dawn exclaimed. "What for?"  
  
"Drugs, punching someone in the nose, shoplifting twice and nicking a car." Spike counted off on his fingers. "You?"  
  
"Shoplifting, setting fire to a building and when they had a raid at the bar I hang out at."  
  
"Impressive," Spike nodded. "How long did it take you to do your hair?" He pointed at her long black hair that was in hundreds of tiny plait's, each plait ended with a blob of blood red wax.  
  
" 'Bout five hours," she answered. "But it was worth it."  
  
"Looks cool," Spike nodded. They sat in silence for a few seconds.  
  
"You wanna come to this club tonight?" Dawn asked hopefully.  
  
"It's not the same one as big-sis is going to is it?" Spike checked. Sunnydale seemed quite a small place; there could only be a few clubs in the area.  
  
"No way. I would never go to a place that Princess hangs out at." Dawn wrinkled up her nose in disgusted. "This place is way cooler. Faith's picking us up at 10,"  
  
"OK, see you then." Spike walked out of her room, ready to look around the remaining rooms. He doubled back and peered into Dawn's room. "Don't your parent's mind you going out that late?"  
  
She gave him a strange look. "They won't even know." Spike nodded, thinking that it was a little strange that they didn't mind an eleven year-old going to a club until the early hours of the morning. 


	3. The Fish Tank

The Fish Tank  
  
It was just before ten o'clock and Spike and Dawn were waiting in his room. The second that 10:00 hit the clock Dawn stood up.  
  
"That's the signal," Dawn said, walking over to the window. She hoisted her leg out the window and jumped. Spike shrugged his shoulders and jump out after her.  
  
He landed with a thud, next to Dawn, in the back of a black soft-top Porsche.  
  
The girl in the driving seat whipped her head round. She had very heavy black eye make up which made her skin look extra pale. Spike guessed this was Faith. She was a lot older than Dawn, maybe even older than Buffy.  
  
"Who's the hottie?" She asked Dawn. Dawn rolled her eyes.  
  
"This is Spike, he's our exchange student,"  
  
"Does he speak English?"  
  
"Yeah, I do, Pet. I'm from England." Spike said sarcastically.  
  
"Mmm, sexy accent," Faith nodded. "Bet PowderPuff's all over you." Dawn and Spike burst out laughing.  
  
"Like I'd ever go out with a Barbie Doll," Spike laughed as they started to drive away.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"So?" Cordelia asked. "What's the sitch with the British guy in your house?"  
  
"Please, can I have one night free from talk about him," Buffy begged.  
  
She had gone to the Bronze after all. She was sitting with her best friends round a table at the back. Xander was sitting in an armchair with Kendra on his lap, Angel and Cordelia were in the love seat opposite and herself and Willow were slumped on the sofa with their legs resting on the coffee table.  
  
"Come on Buff, you can't not tell us." Xander smiled sweetly.  
  
Buffy sighed heavily. "He's bleached, has a stupid accent and dresses like a Fish Tank groupie." She paused. "And he has the stupidest name ever, Spike!"  
  
"Are you serious?" Kendra asked.  
  
"Totally," Buffy replied, Kendra giggled. "He even expected to come here with me tonight! But, he went out with Dawn instead."  
  
"Is he starting back at school with us?" Willow asked. Everyone else rolled their eyes. Trust Willow to bring up school on the third day of summer vacation.  
  
"Yeah, he is," Buffy sighed. "Not only will I have to put up with him all summer. But all year as well."  
  
"I'll save you from the mean man," Xander joked. Buffy scowled at him and Kendra hit him playfully. "What? We could at least meet him first. You could be overreacting Buff."  
  
"No way. You guys can meet him if you really wanna, but don't say I didn't warn you." Everyone went silent for a second.  
  
"Who's up for dancing?" Angel suggested, breaking the unusual silence.  
  
"Sounds great," Willow said, finishing her coffee.  
  
~~~~~  
  
It was 1AM and Spike, Dawn and Faith were still at the Fish Tank. Well, Dawn and Spike were; Faith was in the alley round the back, making out with some guy that went by the name of Trick.  
  
Dawn was dancing, if you could call it dancing, with some guy and Spike was sitting at the bar, drinking a beer. He was getting pretty bored; nothing interesting had happened.  
  
"Hi," a voice said from behind him. He turned round, there was a young girl standing there. "Are you new here too?" There was a quiver in her voice, like she was scared. She wasn't dressed like the other kids here. She had ash blonde hair and was wearing a long black skirt and a cream gypsy top.  
  
"Yeah, Pet. Why you ask?" Spike offered her the barstool next to him.  
  
"I just thought you looked a bit different to the rest of the people here," she smiled at him shyly as she sat down.  
  
"What's your name, luv?"  
  
"T-Tara," She stuttered.  
  
"Where you live?" Spike asked. The girl shrugged. "Streets?" She nodded as tears started to form in her eyes. "Hey, it's ok." He put his arm round her.  
  
"I had to get away," she whispered. He could see she didn't feel like talking now.  
  
"You want to come back to my place?" She looked up at him, terrified. "No, Pet, I didn't mean it like that. Come home with me, spend the night, the house has a few spare rooms."  
  
"Ok, thank you." She whispered, trying not to let the tears fall.  
  
"Oi, Dawn!" Spike yelled across the room. Dawn turned round and raised an eyebrow at Spike. "We're going." She nodded and turned back, dancing. He sighed and went over to the dance floor. He pulled her away and towards the door by her arm.  
  
"What the hell was that for?" Dawn yelled once they got outside.  
  
"We're going," he repeated. "Faith!" he yelled down the alley.  
  
"What?" was her reply.  
  
"Start the car already," she plodded out of the alley, hair all messed up and top slightly out of place.  
  
"Who's the chick?" Faith asked, checking Tara up and down.  
  
"Tara, Faith, Dawn." Spike introduced them all. "She's coming home with us. Your mom and dad won't mind will they, Dawn?"  
  
"What they don't know can't hurt them." Dawn shrugged.  
  
Spike nodded as he opened the car door. "In." He beckoned. 


	4. Tara

Tara  
  
  
  
There was a faint tap on Buffy's balcony door. She climbed off her bed, Dawn must have forgotten to take her window key again. She opened the door, surprised to not only see Spike and Dawn standing there, but another girl.  
  
"Who's she?" Buffy asked somewhat rudely as they came into her room.  
  
"This is Tara, she's gonna stay with us for a while," Dawn said. "And you won't have problem with that, will you Buffy?"  
  
Buffy opened her mouth to protest but closed it again. She looked over at Tara. The poor girl was close to crying why would it hurt to let her stay a few nights? "Ok," Buffy nodded. "I'll set up the spare room next door."  
  
"Wow, Pet, you've got a heart after all." Spike muttered. Buffy scowled at him.  
  
~~~~~  
  
It was early morning and Tara was awake. She was curled up in a bawl, sitting on the bed, looking out the window. She hadn't got much sleep last night. Their faces kept coming into her mind and waking her up.  
  
The door opened a fraction; Tara whipped her head round, fear in her eyes. Buffy slipped in. The frightened girl let out a sigh of relief.  
  
"Hey," Buffy greeted her. "How are you?"  
  
"I'm ok," Tara whispered. "Thank you."  
  
"For what?" Buffy came and sat down next to her.  
  
"Letting me stay. Do your parents know I'm here?" She didn't want to get into anymore trouble.  
  
"My dad left at four this morning. His secretary went into labour. My mom's still asleep; I'll talk to her when she wakes up." Tara looked up at the clock, half past six. "So, are you gonna tell me why you ran away?" Buffy asked.  
  
Tara began to bit her nails. She took a deep breath and finally said; "I had to get away from them. my dad." She couldn't go on.  
  
"It's ok." Buffy put an arm round her and gave her a hug. "You can stay here. It's not like we don't have enough space." Tara looked up at her sadly.  
  
"I.I d-don't have anything." She stuttered. Buffy realised what she meant.  
  
"We can go shopping with my friends today if you want. I'll use my Dad's plastic. You'll soon have a full wardrobe of fashionable clothes."  
  
Tara smiled shyly. "That would be wonderful, thank you."  
  
"Don't mention it," Buffy shook her head as she stood up and walked towards the door. "Come down for breakfast when ever you want."  
  
~~~~~  
  
"Willow, Cordelia, Kendra, Xander, Angel, Tara," Buffy introduced them all to each other, unaware that she did it in the same way Spike had done the night before.  
  
"Um. have I missed something but who's she?" Cordelia asked. "Not meaning to be rude," she added.  
  
"Spike and Dawn found her at the Fish Tank last night." Buffy explained. "She lives with us now 'cos her dad was a total scumbag." Tara smiled shyly.  
  
"What's up with the Scooby meeting then?" Xander asked.  
  
"Total wardrobe needed," Buffy said. Xander and Angel looked at each other then back to the girls.  
  
"Then why do you need us?" they asked simultaneously.  
  
"Guys opinion," the four girls said simultaneously before the six of the burst out laughing. Tara had the feeling that they had had this conversation many times before.  
  
"How are we all gonna fit in my Jag?" Willow asked.  
  
"We can take my Limo," Buffy shrugged. Tara was shocked how these kids could talk about such expensive things as if they were penny sweets and matchbox cars.  
  
"Great idea." Kendra said grabbing her Gucci bag and Xander's arm. "Let's go."  
  
~~~~  
  
"Just one more!" Willow called as she pulled the curtain across the changing cubical.  
  
"You said that an hour ago." Angel called back. He turned to Xander, who was slumped against the wall next to him, asleep. Angel elbowed him in the ribs.  
  
"It looks great on you!" Xander snapped as he sat up, pretending he had never been asleep.  
  
"You dozed off again," Angel explained.  
  
"How long's it been now?" Xander asked.  
  
"Five hours!" Angel cried. He glanced at the endless number of bags of clothes at their feet. "I think the girls idea of 'guys opinion' is 'lets bring them along to carry the bags'."  
  
"Why else would we bring you?" Kendra asked from the cubical.  
  
At least this time the girls were telling the truth. That really was the last one and now they were free to go home. They all hugged each other goodbye and went there separate ways.  
  
Tara now had twenty brand new outfits all with matching shoes. She was happy; no, she was more than happy. She had more outfits now than all together in her life!  
  
She was going out again that tomorrow as well. They were all going to the beach for the afternoon. For the first time she actually had friends. 


	5. The Phone Call

The Phone Call  
  
A month passed and not much changed in the Summers' house. Joyce and Hank still didn't realise that Tara was staying with them, but as Dawn had said, what they didn't know couldn't hurt them.  
  
Buffy and Spike still didn't say a word to each other except for sarcastic comments or insults. They truly disliked each other.  
  
Spike still went out with Dawn and Faith every night to the Fish Tank; even though he didn't particularly like going there, it was better than spending 24 hours a day in his room.  
  
"Aren't we going out tonight, Niblet?" Spike asked as he came into her room.  
  
"No," she answered glumly. "Faith's visiting her parents in LA for the day so I don't have a lift; it take like an hour to walk so I am not doing that." She returned to fiddling with her hair.  
  
"I'll tell ya what," Spike said. "I'll take you." Dawn frowned.  
  
"You don't have a car?" She was confused.  
  
"Your dad left his car keys on the kitchen table before jumping in the taxi to the airport," he grinned.  
  
"Airport?"  
  
"He said something about Germany for two weeks, you're Mom went with him, there's a note on the fridge. Anyway, I can drive; no-one will ever find out."  
  
Seven hours later they were both sitting in a police cell.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Buffy sat up with a jolt. The phone ringing had woke her up; she glanced at the clock, 6AM! Who would call at this hour?  
  
"Hello?" She said sleepily into the phone.  
  
"Miss Summers?" a voice asked.  
  
"Yes?" Buffy asked. "Who is this?"  
  
"My name is Riley Finn, I'm an officer at SDPD. I have Dawn and Spike down at the station.  
  
"Oh God!" Buffy moaned. "Not again, look Dawn is only eleven, you can't arrest her."  
  
"Well, we'll need proof of her age and bail money for Spike," Riley explained.  
  
"I'll be there in an hour," Buffy said before putting the phone down. What the hell had Spike got Dawn caught up in now? She got dressed and grabbed her Jag keys.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"Here's Dawn proof of age and Spike's bail money," Buffy passed them to Officer Finn. He smiley goofyly at her before putting it in the safe. Buffy rolled her eyes. She was used to dumb guys going all stupid round her. But not this stupid, he reminded her of Doofy from Scary Movie. All he needed was the 'special officer' sticker.  
  
He went over to unlock the cell. Dawn came running out with Spike dancing behind her.  
  
"Thank you so much, Buffy!" Dawn hugged her. "Mom and Dad said one more police pick up and they wouldn't by me a car when I turned 16." Buffy hugged her back stiffly.  
  
"Where's the car you 'borrowed from dad?" Buffy asked, she had seen them take it out the car lot. It wasn't her Dad's favourite car but was still one that he used quite a lot.  
  
"That's the problem," Spike sang. Buffy glared over at him. So it was his fault that her sister had been arrested for the fourth time, he stank of alcohol. "We got into a little car crash, I don't think it's coming back, and that bloody idiot," he pointed to Riley who was know dealing with someone else the other side of a large window, "wouldn't believe the car was ours, so he arrested us for theft, pillock"  
  
"You crashed my dad's Mercedes!" Buffy yelled. A guy in the next cell coifed something that sounded like 'rich snob'; Buffy ignored it.  
  
"It wasn't our fault. The other guys drove off before the cops got there," Dawn protested. "But the cop got all edgy 'cos Spike was over the limit." Spike grinned before puking all over the floor.  
  
Buffy looked over to him. She shook her head and turned for the door. "We can talk about this tomorrow."  
  
Dawn and Spike gave each other a worried look and followed her. 


	6. The evening after the night before

The evening after the night before  
  
Buffy was sitting at the kitchen table eating her dinner when Spike came downstairs for the first time after sleeping all day. He sat down opposite her and rubbed his eyes.  
  
"You look like you've got one hell of a hangover," she grinned. He just glared at her as he popped a couple of aspirin in his mouth and gulped down some water. "I should really tell my parents about what you did to the car."  
  
"You would do that wouldn't you, Barbie," he said sarcastically.  
  
"God! What is your problem?" Buffy asked, dropping her fork. She was finally fed up with the way he spoke to her.  
  
"My problem is you!" He yelled.  
  
"What did I do?" she was surprised how he had turned her comment into an argument.  
  
"Sulking around cos you can't buy a stupid dress, moaning that you can't go out and throwing a fit every time you can't get what you want."  
  
"I do not." She protested.  
  
"You do so. You never even think that you're a hell of a lot better of than some people," Spike growled.  
  
"I know that."  
  
"Do you?" He asked cryptically.  
  
"OK, what the hell is your point?"  
  
"My point is that you act like a spoilt brat!"  
  
"I do not!" Buffy protested.  
  
"You do so. You live your life through Daddy's wallet. You remind me of that girl, Elle, from Legally blond!"  
  
"Oh, grow up." She really couldn't be bothered to fight any more. She walked away and into the sitting room. Spike followed her; he wasn't letting her have the last word.  
  
"''I' should grow up? What about you? You have everything anyone could ever want and it's still not enough. I never had that. When I was five years old my father was put in prison for beating me. My Mum topped herself in the kitchen. I had to grow up the moment she put those pills in her mouth. From that day, I've lived in Children's Homes, looking after myself. So don't give me a speech about growing up, little girl, cos I've been there, done that." Spike suddenly looked shocked. He had never told anyone about his childhood, let alone somebody that he hated.  
  
Buffy felt a pang of empathy for the guy she had spent the last month being horrible too. They both had more things in common than they would like to admit.  
  
"So maybe I didn't have bad as you, but I know what it's like to not have parents." She said calmly.  
  
"What? I saw your parents a few minutes ago." He didn't understand.  
  
"Sure they're there, but they're never there." Buffy stated. Spike looked totally confused. "Example; I remember one day when I eight and Dawn was three, Mom and Dad both took a day off work for the first time ever. They were gonna take us to the zoo. We were so excited, neither of us had been to the zoo before. Five minutes before we were due to leave my Dad got a phone call asking him to come into work. He went, of course. Just as he was walking out the door my Mom also got a call from work saying that she was needed at an important meeting. She also went; we didn't go to the zoo, we spent another day at home, with the Nanny. That day Dawn and I saw our lives shatter infront of us. We knew they didn't care." Buffy ended there, before she could add a snide comment.  
  
Spike, too, didn't know what to say. Would having parents that didn't care about you be worse than not having parents at all? Probably. Neither of them spoke for what must have been more than five minutes. Both were reflecting over the way they had treated the other over the last month. Suddenly feeling all the hate melt away and it being replaced by a feeling of understanding.  
  
Then, both at the same time, they sat down on the sofa. They looked at each other, making a few seconds of eye contact before looking back down at their laps.  
  
It was over twenty minutes before somebody spoke.  
  
"So. you going out tonight?" Spike asked, trying to make conversation.  
  
"No," Buffy answered. "Angel and Cordy are in Florida for a fortnight, Xander and Kendra are touring South America and Willow and Tara are in the south of France with Willow's parents. I was gonna watch some video's." Buffy smiled at Spike. "Wanna watch Nightmare on Elm Street?"  
  
"Yeah, sure. That's not the kind of movie you watch alone." He nodded.  
  
"Great. Pizza or Chinese food?" She asked.  
  
"Um.. Pizza?" He shrugged. "Didn't you just eat?  
  
"Yeah, but you didn't. It'll be here by seven," Buffy said. There was another awkward silence. Buffy stood up and started to walk upstairs. "I'll be in my room if you want me." She called back to him. 


	7. Nightmares

Nightmares  
  
Buffy's eyes flew open. She pricked her ears up and listened carefully. There it was again, the creek that the stairs made. Someone was in the house, what if it was Freddie Krouger?  
  
She slowly reached over to the side of her bed and pressed in the intercom button for Spike's room.  
  
"Spike," She whispered into the intercom. "Spike!" she hissed slightly louder. "Spike!" she hissed even louder. She heard a murmur from the other end of the intercom. "Spike!" she said for a fourth time.  
  
"What?" he grumbled sleepily.  
  
"Can you come in here?" She asked. "I heard a noise."  
  
"It's nothing, Pet," he said before turning over to go back to sleep.  
  
"But what if it's something? What if it's him?" She bit her lip. "Will you just come in 'til I go to sleep?"  
  
Spike grumbled to himself. "Sure, Pet, I'll be there in a second."  
  
Buffy let go of the button and turned to face the door. She pulled the duvet right up to her chin and waited for Spike to come in.  
  
When the door opened Buffy had to bite her lip to stop herself from screaming. But she still whimpered with fright.  
  
"Hey, it's ok pet," He came over and sat down on the end of her bed and lit his lighter. The tiny flame made the whole room light up. "You got a candle?"  
  
She rummaged around in the top draw next to her bed and found a large green candle. He flicked his lighter again and lit the candle.  
  
"Thanks," Buffy said. "I feel like such an idiot now."  
  
"No problem," Spike shrugged. "I think you just heard Dawn coming in. I met her sneaking up the stairs on the way here."  
  
Buffy laughed. "I really should stop watching horror movies."  
  
"Probably for the best, at least until Dawn stops coming home at 3am."  
  
"Is that the time?" She asked looking at her clock, he was right. "It's early. Or late, one of them."  
  
"Dunno," he replied. "But we should get some sleep." He stretched out across end of her double bed.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Going to sleep," he kept his eyes closed.  
  
"What about your room?"  
  
Spike opened one eye. "Look, Pet. As soon as I get back to my room you'll here another noise and call me in here again. So, if I stay here then you can't get freaked."  
  
Buffy thought about what he had said and nodded. She leant over to blow the candle out. "Night."  
  
"Night, luv." 


	8. The Zoo

The Zoo  
  
When Buffy awoke the next morning Spike was still asleep and the end of the bed. She tilted her head so that it was at the same angle as his. He had stayed with her all night, just like he'd said. She smiled at how innocent he looked when he slept. She climbed out of bed, trying to be quiet.  
  
"What's the time?" He was already fully awake. Buffy jumped as she heard his voice.  
  
"I didn't know you were awake," she said. "It's nearly midday."  
  
Spike nodded and thought for a second about what he was about to ask her. It could mean they became friends or it could make her hate him even more. By the way she was looking at him at the moment, she would probably say yes.  
  
"Did you ever get to go to the zoo?"  
  
Buffy had to think about what he was talking about, and then she remembered the argument they had had the night before. "No," she said glumly. "Why'd you ask?"  
  
"Wanna go to the zoo today?" he asked hopefully.  
  
"Yeah!" Buffy sounded excited. "I'd love to."  
  
"Be ready in half an hour," Spike said as he walked out of the room.  
  
Buffy grinned stupidly, much like the idiot police officer had done the other day, as he left the room.  
  
'He's not actually that bad,' half of her brain was telling her. The other half was telling her that his was the rude git that had invaded her house. She eventually listened to both sides of her brain. He wasn't that bad but he could sometimes be a rude git.  
  
She shook herself out of her thoughts and opened her wardrobe to try and suss out what to wear.  
  
~~~~  
  
"That was such an amazing day!" Buffy squealed as she flopped down backwards on the sofa. "Thank you so much for taking me."  
  
"No problem, Pet," Spike said, flopping down on the other end of the sofa. "It was cool when we got to feed the penguin's."  
  
"And when you got soaked by the sea-lion!" Buffy giggled. She was still on a high from her first trip to the zoo.  
  
"And when you got really scared when that tiger came right up to the bars!" They both burst out laughing, remembering all the fun they had had together.  
  
"I'm going to bed now," Buffy announced once they had finished laughing. "I have to up early in the morning."  
  
"Why?" Spike asked. He was a little disappointed that didn't want to send another day with him.  
  
"Cos I'm going to the beach with you," she explained before running up the stairs.  
  
Spike was left on the sofa, speechless. Had she just asked him out on a date? 


	9. Kiss and Tell

Kiss and Tell  
  
There was a knock on Spike's door. He moaned and ignored it, hoping who ever it was would go away. But they didn't, there was another knock.  
  
"Fuck off!" he yelled sleepily. The door swung open and a fully dressed Buffy marched in.  
  
"Wake up!" she commanded. "We need to go soon."  
  
"But it's still dark," Spike protested.  
  
"I know it's still dark you idiot," Buffy replied angrily. "We're going to watch the sunrise."  
  
Spike moaned again, rolled onto his back and went back to sleep. Buffy jumped on the bad. She was going to have to use her last resort. She placed a soft kiss on his forehead.  
  
Spike's eye flew open. Buffy wasn't sure if it was a look of shock on his face or terror. Or both.  
  
"I'm sorry," she whispered before running from the room.  
  
~~~~  
  
Buffy didn't even make it to her bed; she collapsed on her bedroom floor, sobbing.  
  
A few minutes later a fully dressed Spike peeked his head round the door; surprised to see the petit blonde crying her eyes out. He sat down next to where she was lying.  
  
"What's the matter, Pet?" He asked.  
  
"Nothing." She replied, not even looking up at him.  
  
"I don't think this is about nothing," he wasn't convinced.  
  
Buffy looked up him slowly, her eyes were red from where she was crying. She took a deep breath breathe and finally said, "I think I'm in love with you and always have been and I hate myself because of it." She looked back at the floor, so not to see the expression on his face.  
  
Spike's jaw dropped. She was in love with him! Buffy! Buffy the total bitch was in love with him! He didn't know what to say. He knew he didn't love her but he liked her.  
  
"I can't say that I feel the same way," Spike started but Buffy cut him off.  
  
"I get it, you still hate me." She looked right into his eyes. He felt some part of his insides melt when her eyes looked into his.  
  
"I didn't say that," he corrected her. "I can't say I feel the same way about you, yet. I really loved spending the day with you yesterday and would love to go to the beach with you today." Buffy nodded, blushing slightly at the way she had behaved. "Why do you hate yourself for loving me?" Spike asked, suddenly realising what she had just said.  
  
Buffy sniffed. "Because we're meant to hate each other. I'm meant to hate you like I used to. But know I have all these feelings and there all wrong- " Buffy was cut off by Spike's lips. He kissed her in exactly the way she had kissed him earlier.  
  
"Feeling's aren't always wrong, there just unexpected." He stood up and turned towards the door. "Are we going to the beach or what?" He held out his hand. She put her hand his and he pulled her so she was standing.  
  
Buffy grinned from ear to ear as they walked towards her car, still holding hands.  
  
~~~~ 


	10. Drugs Don't Work

Drugs Don't Work  
  
Spike drew Buffy closer to him, she snuggled closer to his chest and sighed happily. They had watched the sunrise on the beach like planned, followed by a trip to the mall and the cinema and dinner in the pizza place round the corner; and now they were lying on Buffy's balcony looking at the stars.  
  
Both had had the most amazing day in there lives. And was the happiest they'd ever been.  
  
"I can't believe how quickly things have changed," Buffy sighed.  
  
"I know," Spike agreed. "A few days ago if somebody told me I would end up with you in my arms I would tell them to go fuck a dog." Buffy giggled and looked up at him.  
  
Spike lent down and kissed Buffy roughly. Their tongues invaded each others mouths. They only pulled away when they heard a voice coming from the ground.  
  
"Dawn, this is not a good place for a nap!" Faith was yelling into the young girl's ear.  
  
"What is going on?" Buffy yelled down. She popped her head over the edge of the balcony. Faith didn't even need to reply. As soon as Buffy saw Dawn lying on the floor in a heap she started climbing down the trellis. "What happened to her?"  
  
"Bit too much Coke," Faith explained. Buffy frowned.  
  
"You can't get drunk on Coke. She must have had something else."  
  
"She didn't mean that kind of Coke," Spike said as he jumped down from the trellis.  
  
"Dawn does Coke!" Buffy screamed at Faith. "How could you let her!"  
  
"She does what she wants," Faith shrugged. "Now I gotta go home." She jumped in her car and drove off before Buffy could protest.  
  
"Help me carry her inside," she instructed Spike. Together they carried Dawn and placed her on the sofa.  
  
"Dawn, wake up!" Buffy slapped her little sister round the face. Dawn moaned and opened her eyes slightly. Buffy sighed in relief. "Thank God you're alright." She threw herself on Dawn and gave her a hug.  
  
Dawn smiled weakly. Buffy suddenly came to her senses.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She screamed. "Going out, doing Coke! Coming home unconscious! Scaring the living daylights out of me! "  
  
Tears started to well in Dawn's eyes, she had come down from her high. "It made me feel better. It stopped the pain."  
  
Spike came and sat down next to Buffy and Dawn. "Drugs don't make anything better, Dawn. I know that from experience."  
  
"I only did it this one time," Dawn said, trying to make it seem better.  
  
"One time is all it takes to kill you!" Buffy explained.  
  
"There was this kid, Sharon, I used to live with," Spike began. He was going to use a real life story to hopefully scare Dawn. "She died when she was 13 from drugs. I don't want that to happen to you, neither of us do."  
  
Buffy nodded in agreement.  
  
"I won't take any more, I promise." Dawn begged, she didn't want her parents finding out. "It felt really cool at first, like nothing mattered and I was happy. But now, now I feel terrible."  
  
"Ill have to take you're word for it," Buffy sighed. There was nothing she could do. She wasn't Dawn's mother, she couldn't punish her. "But I'd feel better if you didn't go out for a few nights."  
  
"Done." Dawn agreed automatically,  
  
"That's my girl," Spike ruffled Dawn's hair making Dawn laugh. "Now the best thing you can do is drink lots of water and do something like reading or watching TV."  
  
Dawn nodded and headed towards her room.  
  
"Thank you so much," Buffy said to Spike once Dawn had gone. "She probably wouldn't have listened to me if you weren't there."  
  
"S'ok," Spike shrugged. "Used to talking kids out of drugs. Been there once or twice myself."  
  
"You did drugs?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Yeah. 'Bout eight months ago I spent two months in hospital. Doctor said I'd never talk again."  
  
"You could never not talk," Buffy grinned. "Wanna go back to look at the stars?"  
  
"I think try get some sleep, I'm beat," he yawned.  
  
"I'm not-" Buffy paused to yawn, "sleepy". He raised an eyebrow. "Ok, ok, bed for me too." 


	11. Meet the Friends

Meet the Friends.  
  
  
  
Two weeks past and Buffy's friends returned from their holidays. All came back with tans and stories about there adventures. But Buffy had stories of her own to tell this year. Most involving Spike. Well, all involving Spike.  
  
"So? When are we gonna meet him?" Kendra asked one day after Buffy had finished telling the story of the trip to the zoo. Buffy went silent.  
  
"Why don't you bring him to the Bronze tonight?" Willow suggested. "Then we can all meet him.  
  
"Ok," Buffy squeaked. "I have to go. home now to. check up on Dawn. See you all later," she ran home. She had to find something for him to where that wasn't black.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"Spike!" She yelled as she started sprinting up the stairs. "Spike!" She started banging on his bedroom door.  
  
"Hello Luv," Spike greeted her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Buffy pulled him off her and forced her way into his room.  
  
"We have to find you something to wear," she announced. Spike gave her a puzzled look.  
  
"Why? I have clothes on." She looked him up and down; black, black and more black!  
  
"My friends want to meet you tonight. So, you have to wear something non- black," Buffy explained.  
  
Spike opened his wardrobe and looked through his clothes. "The only thing I have that's not black is this," he pulled out a Manchester United shirt. Buffy looked at him like he'd just suggested going out naked.  
  
"You can't wear a soccer shirt to the Bronze!" She barged him out the way and started to search through his clothes.  
  
"That's my private property!" He yelled, but it was to late; she had found the pictures.  
  
Neatly hidden between some jeans, Buffy had found a dozen or so photo's of herself, all from the last two weeks.  
  
Spike looked at the floor. "I wanted to remember the good times."  
  
Buffy turned round to face him. He was ready for a slap round the face or being told he was a pervert. Instead he felt Buffy's arms slip around his neck.  
  
"I'm not mad at you silly," she said. "Just shocked that you care so much."  
  
He looked into her eyes. There it was again, that scary melting feeling. "You remember what I said about not loving you yet?" Buffy nodded sadly. "Just ignore that." They kissed.  
  
"You mean-" They kissed again.  
  
"I love you."  
  
~~~~~  
  
Spike sat at the back of the Bronze, fidgeting.  
  
"Spike sit still!" Buffy ordered. She peered around crowds, trying to spot her friends. She had eventually found a dark blue shirt for Spike to wear, she even had a dress in the same shade for herself.  
  
Just then, her friends appeared. They spotted Buffy automatically and came over.  
  
"Guys, this is Spike." Buffy introduced. "Spike this is Xander and Kendra, Cordelia, Angel, Willow and you know Tara."  
  
Spike could feel all of Buffy's friends look him up and down, as if they were judging him. He was a bit knocked back by there clothes. All the couples had matching outfits, just like Buffy and himself. Cordelia and Angel both were wearing red. Xander and Kendra purple and Willow and Tara were both wearing yellow.  
  
"Want a drink, Luv," Spike asked. He felt that they wanted to talk with out him being there. Buffy smiled and nodded.  
  
"What'd you think?" Buffy asked once Spike had gone out of hearing range.  
  
"Definitely cute," Willow said. The other girls all agreed. Angel and Xander just stood there.  
  
"I don't like him," Xander said finally.  
  
"Me either," Angel added. All the girls looked at them horrified.  
  
"Why?" Buffy inquired. Spike hadn't said one word to them and they hated him! But then again, Xander and Angel hated all her boyfriends, just because she'd turned both of them down.  
  
"There's something about him." Angel couldn't work out what it was about Spike but he just got a bad vibe. "I just can't put my finger on it."  
  
"Well, be nice." Cordelia said as Spike came back with his and Buffy's drinks. They all took there normal seats round a table; except Buffy sat down on Spike's lap.  
  
The others looked surprised. Buffy had left out the tiny detail that herself and Spike were a couple. Tara had guessed, she had heard Spike sneak into Buffy's room almost every night since she had returned from France.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"That didn't go too bad," Spike shrugged when they were in the car driving home. Buffy spun her head round and glared at him.  
  
"What do you mean?" She asked.  
  
"Well, your friends seemed to like me."  
  
"Sure they did." Buffy reassured, her smile faded. "Xander and Angel hated you."  
  
Spike gave her a 'duh' look. "Of course they hated me, Pet. They're jealous that I got something they can never have." He took one arm off the steering wheel and put it round Buffy's shoulders.  
  
"I did turn them both down," Buffy thought out loud. "And they did start hating you after you said one word."  
  
"You hated me before I'd even got that far," Spike shrugged. "Now look at us."  
  
Buffy nodded. "They can just get over it." 


	12. First Day Back

First Day Back  
  
The next few weeks passed, like any summer vacation does, too fast. Before anyone would have wished, it was time to go back to school.  
  
~~~~  
  
Buffy stood at the entrance to Sunnydale High, peering through the crowds of students. The new freshmen students wandering round, campus maps in hand and the older students placing bets on which ones would be future prom queens, football players and cheerleaders.  
  
"Come on, Spike. Where are you?" Buffy muttered under her breath. He was late, as per usual. Showing up late on the first day was not going to impress Snyder.  
  
"Are you lost too?" She heard somebody from behind her say. Buffy spun round to see who was talking to her. It was a lanky brown haired boy, definitely a freshman. Anyone else would have known who she was.  
  
"No," Buffy shook her head. "I'm a Junior." The boy looked embarrassed.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry." He apologised. "You just looked a bit worried."  
  
"My boyfriend's late." Buffy shrugged. The boy turned an even brighter shade of red that clashed horribly with his shirt.  
  
"Well, bye." He said before running off. Buffy couldn't help herself from bursting out laughing.  
  
"Something funny, Pet?" Spike asked, appearing from behind her.  
  
"Just some freshman trying to ask me out," Buffy shrugged. "And how come your so later, mister?"  
  
"I'm not late." Spike frowned. "I've been to see some teacher. They wanted to take a picture of all the exchange students for the school paper."  
  
"Well, that's ok then," Buffy said. "The principle is a right troll, he would freak if you we were late."  
  
Spike raised an eyebrow. "What the guy standing behind you?"  
  
Buffy's face went ghostly white as she turned around slowly. Snyder was standing there, arms crossed, not looking very happy.  
  
"That'll be detention after school for both of you," he said, handing them both a detention slip. Buffy whimpered as Principle Snyder walked away to spy on some Senior's.  
  
"Reminds me of my old school." Spike grinned, looking at his white detention slip. "I think I've spent more time in detention than in lessons."  
  
"I have to miss cheerleading tryouts now!" Buffy pouted.  
  
"You're a cheerleader?" Spike asked.  
  
"I'm captain of the squad," she answered. "Now I have to go find Willow, most of our lessons are together this year. See you at lunch."  
  
~~~~~  
  
Spike didn't bother turning up for his morning lessons that morning. What was the point? He'd dropped out of school over a year ago now, this year wouldn't count for anything.  
  
He found Buffy and her friends in the quad at lunch time. They were busy talking about how to reschedule the cheerleading tryouts. Turned out that Angel was on the football team and Xander was on the soccer team. Of course, all the girls were cheerleaders.  
  
"How'd your first lessons go, Spike?" Kendra asked, trying to involve him in the conversation.  
  
Spike just shrugged. Buffy probably wouldn't be too happy if he told her he skipped.  
  
"He didn't turn up," Angel sneered. "He's in all my classes." Spike went paler than normal. How was he to know that one of Buffy's friends was also a senior?  
  
"Great," Spike mumbled. Buffy just sat there glaring at him. He had promised her that he would make an effort at school this year and already his promise was broken.  
  
"I have to go. get something from the library," Buffy said as she stormed off.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"Buffy, wait!" Spike called as he ran after her. She ignored him and carried on walking. "Just wait!"  
  
Buffy slammed the door behind her as she entered the girl's bathroom. Spike looked at the door for a second, thinking, before following her.  
  
"Spike! You can't come in here!" she yelled. He totally ignored her.  
  
"What was that about?" he asked.  
  
"What do you think? You broke your promise!" Buffy refused to let herself cry.  
  
"I did," Spike said. There was no reason to lie to her again. "And I'm sorry. It's just habit not going to classes. I didn't want to be behind."  
  
Buffy considered what he had said. Finally, she nodded. "Ok, I forgive you, just don't do it again." Inside she knew that he would break his promise again and again but now was not the time to yell at him for something he hadn't done yet. 


	13. Detention

A/N- this chapter has a few of my characters of my own.  
  
Detention  
  
That afternoon Buffy and Spike had their detention. They were joined by Faith and a few of other people Spike recognised from the Fish Tank.  
  
"Now I'm gonna trust you kids to be quiet while I go and get something from my car," Mr Flutie said as he walked out the door. As soon as he'd gone, all the kids let out a sigh of relief. They had a chance for a five-minute talk before the stupid maths teacher came back.  
  
Spike turned to the girl sitting next to him. "So Raven, how come's Thistle's not here?" Raven was one of the regulars at the club. Her and her friend Thistle were inseparable. If she were in trouble, Thistle wouldn't be far behind.  
  
The girl swished her long black hair round. "Thistle goes to junior high with Dawn."  
  
Buffy heard her sister's name being mentioned. "You know Dawn?"  
  
Raven's eyes narrowed. "Who's asking?"  
  
"I'm her sister," Buffy replied rudely. Raven turned to Spike.  
  
"This is the bitch you dumped us for?" Raven looked furious, but not half as much as Buffy.  
  
Spike put a protective arm around Buffy. "What's Dawn been telling you?"  
  
"Just that you did a 180 overnight and now you'd rather spend time with her than us," Raven glared at Buffy.  
  
Luckily, Mr Flutie came back into the room just at that second. Buffy sprung back to her seat, still glaring at the other girl. 


	14. Gangsters Paradise

Gangsters Paradise  
  
Buffy was silent in the car ride home from school; she was busy thinking. She didn't actually know the names of Dawn's friends that she hung out with all night. Well, she knew Faith, Raven and Thistle but from what she'd heard there was a lot of others.  
  
"Spike, what are Dawn's friends like?" Buffy asked, breaking the silence.  
  
"Just like Faith and Raven, why you ask?" Buffy nodded.  
  
"I want to meet them." She stated. Spike looked shocked. Buffy was the total opposite of these kids and she wanted to meet them!  
  
"When?" Hopefully he could keep them away from each other for as long as possible.  
  
"Well, Dawn's ill tonight," Buffy grinned wickedly at him. "You could turn up with a friend."  
  
~~~~~  
  
"Hey," Spike greeted the group and he and Buffy appeared at the edge of the alley. The kids had decided that the Fish Tank was far to open for them and they need somewhere where only they knew of. This certain alley down by the peer seemed to fit the criteria perfect.  
  
"Hey" the other kids greeted him.  
  
"Who's she?" one of the guys asked.  
  
"This is Cat, she just moved here." Buffy gave a tiny smile and sat down next to Spike on one of the moth-eaten sofas.  
  
"Cat, I'm Raven." Raven introduced herself; of course, Buffy already knew her. "This is Thistle," she pointed to a tiny blonde girl who must have been about Dawn's age; she wore very tight jeans and a tiny bikini top. "Storm," a tall skinny boy with shaggy electric blue hair and trousers to mach, who was about her age. "Smoke," a huge football player size boy wearing baggy jeans and a vest top. "Ice," a tall, lanky girl with white hair styled to look life a lion mane. "Faith," Buffy already knew Faith, and disliked her. "And Bullet," a tiny boy, he must have only been about seven or eight.  
  
Buffy looked from one kid to another. They were all so young yet hated life. Like a little army of Dawn's; why would kids want to do this?  
  
"So, Cat, where you from?" Ice asked.  
  
Buffy shrugged trying to act like the other kids. "L.A."  
  
"What we gonna do tonight?" Smoke asked. Everyone sat and thought about what they would like to do.  
  
"Let's shoot holes in the peer," Bullet suggested.  
  
"We did that the other night," Thistle moaned. "What about breaking some windows down Main Street?"  
  
"Too early, we'd get caught." Spike joined in the conversation. "Why don't we just stay here and play cards?"  
  
Raven nodded. "Just 'til most people have gone home, then we'll hit Main Street." Buffy gathered that Raven was the leader of the gang.  
  
"I got something better," Faith said. The others all looked at her. "The gang from Willie's want the Docks as part of there turf. We already let them have the industrial area, I say we fight for our Docks." She winked at Raven, yet nobody seemed to notice.  
  
Everyone else nodded in agreement.  
  
"We can't just go and attack them," Ice said. "We need plans and ideas."  
  
"We do," Raven nodded in agreement. "Who's in?"  
  
All but Buffy and Spike raised there hands.  
  
"Dawn'll be in," Storm said as he raised his second hand. "What about you two?"  
  
Buffy looked from one gang member to another. "We're in," she nodded, not wanting to look suspicious.  
  
"I have to go home, check on Dawn," Spike said pulling Buffy up. "See you lot tomorrow."  
  
"Bye Spike, bye Cat." Thistle called as they left the alley.  
  
"Buffy, do you what you just did?" Spike yelled once they got back to the car.  
  
"Meet Dawn's friends?" Buffy was puzzled.  
  
"You got us involved in a gang war; do you know how dangerous those things are?"  
  
Buffy giggled about scared he was. "It's just a little fight, Spike. It's not like were gonna get down to shot ups."  
  
Spike raised an eyebrow, shot ups were just what the other gang members had in mind. "No, course not." Hopefully he could get her out of this thing before anything happened. 


	15. The Plan

I'm really sorry it's been so long but my laptop died 3 times! So I had to re-write over twenty fanfics that I'm midway through let alone all my school essays. I'll upload quite a bit now to make up for it. Also, my new laptop doesn't have a spellchecker (stupid thing) so I'm sorry if there are a few spelling or grammar mistakes.  
The Plan  
  
Spike managed to keep Buffy away the Fish Tank gang for a whole week before he finally cracked. Dawn had filled them in on the plans of the attack.  
  
Buffy was still using the name of Cat because if they ever found out that she was Dawn's sister, whom they had heard so many things about, the Fish Tank gang would not be pleased.  
  
Plans of attack had been drawn up for two weeks time, and just in case, defence plans. They needed all the help they could get, so naturally, Buffy had got her friends involved too! They hadn't been easy to convince but Buffy hadn't been easy to give up asking.  
  
Spike took the chance to train Buffy to shot a pistol gun and a bit of self difference. She would need the strength of a super hero to make sure she didn't get hurt. Gang war was never pretty. Especially if Willies gang were as tough as Raven and Faith made them out to be.  
  
Xander and Angel were being used for weapons. Both there fathers were head's of their army bases. Cordelia and Kendra were going to be first aid back at the base, which was now Willow and Tara's house, (Tara had moved in not long after they came back from France). Willow and Tara were setting traps all over the web to make sure the police were elsewhere when the attacks began.  
  
The rest of the gang was in charge of checking positions, hideouts and attack manoeuvres.  
  
They all gathered at Willow's house one night when her parents had gone out to the theatre.  
  
"So, how's the weapon's looking?" Raven asked Xander and Angel.  
  
"Shiny," Xander grinned. Cordelia hit him lightly.  
  
"Sorry," Angel apologised on behalf of his friend. "We have to basic hand guns and bullets but just in case we have a little stock of grenades."  
  
Bullet's dark eyes lit up, he loved the idea of war and couldn't wait to start throwing the grenades.  
  
"Do we really need this much stuff?" Kendra asked. "It seems a bit drastic just for a gang." Raven and the rest of the fish tank lot looked at her horrified.  
  
"You don't know this gang," Faith said. "They would blow up the whole town if it meant they could bet us. To them were just a bunch of teenagers in the way."  
  
"Well, aren't you?" Kendra didn't understand why keeping the docks meant so much to these kids.  
  
Faith's eyes went bright with anger. "Almost every murder in this town is thanks to Willie's lot. You think they'd stop at the docks? Next it would the Bronze and Main Street, before long they'll want the whole town."  
  
Kendra gulped and shuffled behind Xander.  
  
"So does everyone know what they're doing on Saturday?" Buffy checked. Everyone nodded. "Good, 'til then it's probably best to lie low. Not meet as a group, meet on Saturday for the showdown." 


	16. War

War  
  
"Thistle to HQ, do you copy?" Thistle hissed into her walkie talkie.  
  
"I copy, Thistle," Willow said into her hands-free set as she checked the police activity on her computer.  
  
"We're about to attack. Get ready to alert the first aid unit."  
  
"Cordelia and Kendra notified." Willow loved acting all secret agents. It reminded her of the time the CIA offered her a job, hacking. She had been forced to turn it down as she was only fourteen at the time.  
  
"Thanks," Thistle ended the transmission.  
  
"Do think they'll be ok?" Tara asked, swivelling around on her chair.  
  
"They'll be fine," Willow answered, a little too quickly to sound genuine.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Buffy squeezed Spike's hand tight. The twelve of them were pressed flat against the shadows either side of an alley. They knew Willie's gang would there any second.  
  
Sure enough, about fifteen guys entered the alley, leading them was Willie, the leader.  
  
"Where d'you think those stupid brats went to?" one guy asked.  
  
"Dunno," another replied. "They weren't in that stupid hideout alley of theirs, that's all I know."  
  
"What do you mean they weren't there?" Willie shouted angrily. "They're always there!"  
  
"Well, they weren't this time boss," the first guy said.  
  
"I know where they are," Xander said in a fake voice from his shadow. The members of the opposing gang looked around confused. They could not work out where the voice was coming from.  
  
"I here they left," Ice said from the other side of the alley. Again, causing the men to spin around confused.  
  
"Now!" Raven shouted.  
  
In a split second everyone moved. Storm and Smoke used their strength to push a dumpster, squashing two guys against the wall. Angel dropped down a net so that there was only one way in and out of the alley. Thistle and Bullet used their tiny bodies to slip under the guys legs and appear in the middle of the group. The others formed a circle round the gang, forcing them into a donut shape. Everyone clutching their guns close  
  
"What the hell do you punks think you're doing?" Willie asked.  
  
"Stopping you," Buffy said smugly.  
  
"They're our docks!" Raven added.  
  
A couple of guys chuckled softly. "Those guns aren't even loaded," one man said. "Ow!"  
  
Bullet grinned as he look at the whole he had shot in the mans foot. "Trust me, they're loaded," the young boy grinned fiendishly.  
  
"Paramedic, Willow," Buffy hissed almost silently into her hands-free microphone.  
  
"What do you want with us?" a scrawny rat-like guy asked. He looked like he mite cry.  
  
"We want you to leave OUR town alone," Raven moved so her gun was pressed against rat-face's head. He whimpered as he felt the metal ram into him.  
  
"Why would we want the town, we just want our area to be ours, not yours!" Willie sounded both confused and angry.  
  
Buffy finally twigged. Willie's gang didn't know anything about taking over the docks, let alone the whole town. They didn't even seem that scary. Like they were just wannabe gangsters instead of the killers Raven had made them out to be.  
  
"It's not your town," Buffy said quietly, but loud enough for Raven to hear.  
  
"What was that?" Raven asked. Double checking she had heard 'Cat' right.  
  
"It's not your town," Buffy repeated. "It doesn't belong to one person. It's everybody's town; from the Mayor to the little old lady that lives under the bridge."  
  
Raven clenched her teeth. Buffy was cleverer than she had first thought. "So you got it, wondered how long it would take." Before anyone could react, Raven squeezed her trigger.  
  
The dead body of the rat-faced man crumpled to the floor, his crimson blood covering the floor. Thistle started to shake violently and cry, she had never seen a dead body before. Everyone else dropped their guns to their sides. Raven had killed someone! They had all promised to only use their guns to wound but not kill.  
  
"Goodbye Cat," Raven sighed. "Or should I say Buffy?" With the last word Raven shot off her gun again.  
  
Buffy fell backward as her arm exploded in pain. Willie's gang used this chance to escape.  
  
"Buffy, are you ok?" Xander asked stupidly as the rest of the group crowded round Buffy.  
  
"Of course she's not bloody ok!" Spike yelled, crouching down next to Buffy. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." He ran his hand through her hair.  
  
"Raven. Gone. Follow." Buffy instructed Spike, pointing towards the abandoned factory opposite the alley.  
  
"On it," Spike started running towards the factory. Raven was going to pay for what she'd done.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"What d'you think you were doing?" Spike yelled at Raven, grabbing her by the end of her long black hair. "Answer me!"  
  
"Getting rid of that clever bitch," Raven said in a cruel voice as she freed her hair and headed up the stairs.  
  
"But what was with Willie's gang attacking us? They didn't even want the docks." Something in Spike's head clicked. "You wanted rid of them didn't you?"  
  
Raven raised her eyebrows. "Now, I didn't think you were quite so clever," she nodded. "You see, I can take over this whole boring town with out them there the protect it. And those kids, well, I need some kind of muscle."  
  
Spike stood in disbelief. She was serious; she really wanted to be a bad guy.  
  
"Well, I hate to rush things but my guess is that the cops will be here any second now and I don't fancy like going down that way." Spike still couldn't move a muscle. "Now remember, when the pin is pulled Mr Grenade is not our friend."  
  
He looked from the pile of full gas cans in the corner to the grenade in her hand and tried to run for the door. But it was too late.  
  
~~~~~  
  
With a deafening bang the old factory exploded into bright orange flames.  
  
"Spike!" Buffy screamed, collapsing on the floor. She tried to crawl towards the building but the pain in her arm prevented her from moving fast. After just a few metres she gave up, she lay in a pile on the floor, sobbing her eyes out.  
  
"Buffy, the paramedics are here, they're just checking out the dead guy," she heard Cordelia say from next to her. She opened one tear filled eye and saw her sitting next to her. Cordelia pressed a cloth down on Buffy's wound, she hissed in pain.  
  
"He's in there, Cordy," Buffy cried, pulling her arm away.  
  
"Who? Huh?" Cordelia didn't understand what her friend was saying.  
  
"Spike's in there," she sobbed, pointing the flaming building before falling unconscious. 


	17. Please Wake Up

Please Wake Up  
  
It was a week since that night. Buffy's arm was heeling, but Spike was far worse off.  
  
The firemen pulled him out of the burning factory; they said they found him in the basement. He either jumped through the floorboard to avoid the flames or fell through a hole burnt by the fire. What ever he did, it saved his life.  
  
But he was still in a pretty bad condition. Doctors said if he didn't wake up within the next week they would have no other choice than to turn off the life support machine. As well a being in a coma, he had two broken legs and five broken ribs. Both his arms were badly burnt and one of his lungs was punctured. Plus the hundreds of cuts and bruises covering his whole body and all the smoke he'd inhaled didn't help. Even if he did wake up there was the chance of brain damage or amnesia.  
  
The doctors kept bugging Buffy, telling her that she wasn't really allowed to see him as she wasn't family. She had tried to explain to them over and over that Spike didn't have any family but they didn't seem to believe her.  
  
To make matters worse, Buffy's parents were touring Europe for a few months and refused to cancel the rest of their trip just because Buffy and Spike ended up in hospital. Neither of them could see how badly he'd been hurt.  
  
"Please wake up Spike," Buffy sobbed into his sheets. "I know your going to wake up. Cos you're tougher than this. You have to show Raven that you're better than her. You have to prove to my friends that you're gonna be ok. You have to prove to the doctors you're gonna be ok." Her voice was getting louder and louder as she spoke. "You can't do this Spike. You're gonna wake up and say some sarcastic comment and make me laugh or roll my eyes. Then you're going to do that sexy smirk that makes me want to kiss you. Then you'll get better and you'll use the 'I'm still ill' excuse for an extra month. You're gonna grow old and get married and have kids and I'm going to be there the whole time." When she finished she was practically yelling.  
  
"Miss, you'll have to be quiet or you'll have to leave," one of the nurses popped her head round the door.  
  
Buffy nodded and slinked back into her chair. She couldn't even cry anymore, there were no tears left inside her.  
  
"I need you Spike, I love you." Buffy closed her eyes. There was no chance he was ever coming back. He hadn't made any improvements all week, just stayed hanging on the edge of death.  
  
Suddenly, Buffy caught a tiny movement out of the corner of her eye. She whipped her head up and stared at Spike's finger. Had it just moved a tiny fraction? She watched it carefully for a few seconds before working out that she must have just wished it. Just as she was about to give up when it happened again? His finger's twitched! It was the tiniest twitch you could ever imagine but it still happened.  
  
"Spike?" Buffy said nervously. "Can you hear me?" His finger twitched again, slightly more this time. Buffy yelped in excitement. She put her good hand in his. "Go on, I know you can do it!"  
  
Spike's eyes fluttered. "That's it," she encouraged him. "Slowly, don't wear yourself out." His fingers returned to their static state and his eyes closed again. "Hey, it's ok." Buffy squeezed his hand.  
  
The nurse came wandering in. "What's all this noise about?" She asked rudely.  
  
"He moved," Buffy grinned. "He moved and could hear me and understood." Buffy was talking so fast that the nurse had to think about what she had said.  
  
"He moved?" she didn't believe Buffy. A frightened young girl could think she saw anything, especially if her boyfriend was going to die.  
  
"Yes, he moved," Buffy said slowly as if talking to an infant. "Go on Spike, do it again." There was a silent pause, just waiting for him to move a fraction.  
  
"I don't think-" the nurse stopped, Spike's fingers moved again. "I'll get the doctor!" she almost ran out of the room.  
  
"I knew you'd get better," Buffy pressed her head against his chest. "They wouldn't believe me, they all thought you'd die."  
  
"Buffy." Spike whispered. Her head snapped up and looked at his face. "I. can't move."  
  
"Spike!" Buffy squealed. "You can't move?" She was so excited her mind had gone blank. "Oh, you're in the hospital. You were in a coma for a week."  
  
Spike opened his eyes slowly; although his vision was blurry he could still make out shapes and colours. He smiled slightly at the Buffy looking blur.  
  
"What's been going on in here then?" Dr Baker said as he marched into the room. Buffy didn't like Dr Baker; he was far too cold and to the point.  
  
"Hello," Spike said gruffly. The doctor looked like he was going to jump out of his skin.  
  
"You're.you're awake!" Dr Baker yelped. He shook his head; he had to act professional even in the case of a miracle.  
  
"Seems like it," Spike coughed.  
  
"I'll just check all your stats."  
  
A/N - ok, so I have almost run out of idea's, I have a few but enough for a few more chapters. If anyone has any ideas for what to do next I would appreciate them very very much; I'll give you a mention and everything :) Please email any ideas, however small, to me.  
  
Thanks  
  
Spikerox 


	18. Visiting Hours

See if you can spot my clever (well I think it's clever) changed of original characters into not so original ones.  
  
Visiting Hours  
A few days had passed since Spike had woken up from his coma. He was getting better slowly although the doctors said he would need a few months in a wheel chair.  
  
"Knock knock," Dawn said as she entered Spike's room followed by Thistle and Bullet. "The nurse said we could have half an hour."  
  
"Hey," Spike greeted them. "You can stay longer if you want. I'm feeling fine. In fact why don't we go?" He tried to sit up but the pain in his ribs forced him down again.  
  
"That's why we don't go," Buffy smirked. "Dawn, who's your friends?"  
  
The kids came and sat down on some chairs along the back wall of the room. "You know Thistle and Bullet."  
  
Buffy's jaw dropped. The two children sitting next to her sister looked nothing like the two she knew. They both looked happy and like a normal eleven and seven year old should do.  
  
"My real name is Cassie," Thistle corrected. "Thistle is what Raven called me." She nearly spat the name. Spike's eyes narrowed at mention of the bitch that had done this.  
  
"I told you not to say her name." Bullet elbowed her lightly. "Like Cassie said, she gave us all nicknames except for Dawn and Faith as she liked theirs. I'm really called Colin."  
  
"And Ice is Amy, Storm's Daniel (A/N: Oz in case you didn't realise) and Smoke's called Larry." Dawn explained. "Raven's real name is Shelia."  
  
"I said don't say that name!" Colin whined.  
  
"Hey, it's ok," Spike assured him. "As long as you don't go start praising that what she didn't was right it's fine." After the fire in the factory had been put out, firemen found Raven's burnt body. Nobody could understand why she killed herself in attempted of killing Spike. The only conclusion anyone could make was that she had a few screws lose and didn't know what she really wanted.  
  
"Oh," Colin looked a bit embarrassed. "So are you feeling better?"  
  
"I am." Spike nodded. "But they won't let me go."  
  
"With been through this, Spike," Buffy tuttered. "As soon as you can sit up without wincing I'll talk to those stupid gits about getting you out of here."  
  
The other three people in the room starred at her, opened mouthed.  
  
"I've been spending far too much time around you!" Buffy said, realising what she had just said.  
  
"Hello people!" Willow cried, bouncing into the room. Tara came in behind her carrying a huge bunch of balloons.  
  
"Cool balloons," Dawn nodded.  
  
"Well, you can't really get a guy flowers or a teddy bear," Tara grinned.  
  
"They're great," Spike thanked them. "Cheer the place up a bit. But do you know why they would look nice?" Everyone but Buffy looked confused. "In my room back at home!" They all rolled their eyes.  
  
Just then a nurse came in the room. "What are you all doing in here?" she shrieked. "Out of you, only one visitor! Out!" Everyone except Buffy stood up.  
  
"See you later, Spike," Colin called as the nurse bustled them all out of the room.  
  
"I see you're feeling a lot better then," she said, checking Spikes machines. "I was going to say you can go in a few days, but as long as the doctor says you're all ok, I don't see why you can't go tomorrow."  
  
"About bloody time," he muttered.  
  
"Thank you," Buffy said, trying to make up for Spikes rudeness. 


	19. Fly Away Home

Fly Away Home  
  
"See Spike, being in a wheelchair isn't so bad," Buffy shrugged as she pushed him in the front door. "Anyway, you'll be back on your feet before my parents even come home..." Buffy trailed off.  
  
Joyce and Hank were standing cross armed right in front of her.  
  
"Hi Mom, Hi Daddy," Buffy smiled weakly.  
  
"We need to talk," Hank said coldly. "All of us." He glanced over at Spike.  
  
"Ok," Buffy sat down in one of the armchairs. Spike wheeled over next to her. "What did you want to talk about?"  
  
"About what you've been up to since we left for Europe," Joyce answered, sitting down next to her husband. "One day you're telling us everything is fine, the next you're begging us to come home because Spike's dying!"  
  
"Well, he was. The whole building was blown up and I got shot!" Buffy held up her still plastered arm. "I just thought you might have wanted to be here."  
  
"We couldn't get flights," Hank shrugged, obviously lying.  
  
Buffy nodded, not in the mood for an argument.  
  
"So we've decided that the best thing we can do is send Spike back to England," Joyce said.  
  
Buffy's jaw dropped. "You can't!"  
  
Spike remained silent; he was used to people not wanting him around. But he was bit shocked at Joyce's outburst.  
  
"I think it's for the best," Hank said.  
  
"Best for who?" Buffy demanded.  
  
"Buffy, its ok, if I'm not wanted anymore..." Spike nodded.  
  
"Don't ever think that!" Buffy glared from Spike to her parents. "I won't let you do this."  
  
"And why are you so eager for him to stay?" Hank asked. "You were counting the days until he left last time I heard."  
  
"Things have changed." Buffy answered. "Things have changed so much."  
  
"How have they changed, Buffy?" Hank was starting to get annoyed with her.  
  
"Because I love him!" She cried. 


	20. Out of the Closet

Out of the Closet  
  
"What did you just say?" Hank asked, checking that he had heard his daughter right.  
  
"I love him," Buffy said slowly and clearly, wrapping her good arm around Spike. Spike's jaw dropped. He hadn't expected her to say that.  
  
Hanks face turned a dark red colour, a colour no one had seen since Dawn first got arrested (the only time as far as Hank and Joyce knew).  
  
"Spike, would you mind if we talked on our own?" Joyce asked him calmly. She didn't want her husband's temper going out of control. Spike nodded and wheeled himself towards the elevator to wait up in his room.  
  
Hank waited until Spike was out of the room before speaking again. "How long has this been going on?"  
  
"Two months," Buffy answered. Not daring to look her father in the eye.  
  
"And you didn't tell us?" He was really struggling to stay calm.  
  
"You weren't here to tell," Buffy whispered, tears starting to well up in her eyes. "You weren't here to know..."  
  
"Know what?" Joyce could tell by the look in her daughter's eyes that she wasn't telling them everything.  
  
"Anything. What goes on in this house. You don't know about Tara or Dawn or Raven"  
  
"Because you didn't tell us!" Hank yelled. "Who are Raven and Tara?"  
  
"Raven's the girl that tried to kill me and Spike and Tara's the homeless girl that lived with us for months before she moved in with Willow," Buffy explained. The only time she really spoke to her father was when he was in a temper and she knew from experience to answer all his questions or he gets really angry.  
  
"But she doesn't live here anymore?" Joyce double-checked.  
  
"No," Buffy said. "Can I go?" She felt brave asking her dad this when he was in such a mood.  
  
"Yes, go," he rubbed his head. Buffy blinked a few times, this was the fastest time ever he had calmed down. "I have to go to work."  
  
She turned to leave. But Hank called her back  
  
"Oh, and Buffy." She stopped. "You have one hour to get out of here."  
  
Hank left the house, slamming the door behind him, Joyce running behind him.  
  
Buffy walked numbly up the stairs to her room. 


	21. Throw Away

Throw away.  
Spike wheeled back and forth across the large space that was Buffy's bedroom. He hated this. Being stuck upstairs while his future was being decided for him on the floor below.  
  
Silently, Buffy slid into the room. It took a few seconds for Spike to wheel over to her motionless figure, only standing by leaning on the wall behind her. Only then did he see the red tear tracks staining her face. Fresh tears running down her face and dripping off her chin, following the many that had come before.  
  
"What did they say, love?" He took her hand in his and pulled her down so that she was sitting on his lap. Buffy followed robotically.  
  
"He said we have an hour," Buffy replied, nearly choking on her tears.  
  
Spike's hopes and spirit fell. He had to leave, go 'home', say goodbye to everything good in his new life and he had no control over it.  
  
"I should pack." Buffy said before pulled away and threw open her wardrobe.  
  
"Why?" He was confused. If he was leaving, why did she need to pack?  
  
"Because WE have an hour to get out." Buffy turned round to look at him. "I guess we can go to Willow's house, or Xander or someone." She rubbed her forehead.  
  
"They can't do this," Spike said in disbelief. "Can they?"  
  
"Apparently." Buffy shrugged, mindlessly pulling a few pairs of trousers and T-shirts in a bag. "You should pack too, I wanna say goodbye to Dawnie." Buffy fled from the room and ran upstairs.  
  
She returned a few minutes later. "She's out." Buffy explained. "I got most of your clothes. Are you ready? There's no point staying if we're not wanted." Buffy hung her bag on the back of Spike's wheelchair.  
  
"Willow's?" Spike asked. He wasn't very enthusiastic about staying with Xander.  
  
"I guess." Buffy wheeled him out towards the elevator. She would have climbed over the balcony if it wasn't for Spike's total lack of use of legs.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"Hey," Buffy said quietly as Willow opened the door.  
  
"Buffy? What's wrong?" Willow could see the tear marks down her friends face.  
  
"Can we stay here for a bit?" She asked. Not wanting to explain everything on the front porch.  
  
"Of course." Willow stepped aside to let them in.  
  
~~~  
  
Once Buffy had calmed down a bit and had several cups of coffee, she explained to Willow and Tara what had happened.  
  
"I'm so sorry Buffy," Willow said. "But you are more than welcome to stay here. I'll tell you what, you two can have the summer house."  
  
Buffy smiled appreciatively. She had no idea what she would do with out such a great friend.  
  
~~~~ 


	22. Dark Before the Dawn

Dark Before the Dawn  
  
Dawn tiptoed silently through the house. It was gone three in the morning and she did not want to wake her parent's up. She poked her head in Buffy's room on her way up to her third floor bedroom. To her surprise her older sister wasn't in there. Dawn shrugged and carried on her way upstairs, Buffy was probably in Spike's room anyway.  
  
Dawn collapsed down on her black duvet, the buzz of the club music still running through her mind. She didn't notice the note pinned to her ceiling for a few minutes.  
  
She stood on the bed and reached up for it. Her name was written on the front in Buffy's hand writing.  
  
She unfolded it and read it.  
  
Dear Dawnie  
  
I have to go. Well, I don't want to but Dad is making me leave because I love Spike. I'm so sorry that I couldn't tell you in person but I wasn't allowed to wait. I want you to know that I still love you and that I'll always be here for you. Anytime you want me just phone me on my cell or at Willow's house, that's where we're going to stay.  
  
Please don't say anything to Mom and Dad, I don't want you getting into anymore trouble.  
  
Love You  
  
Buffy  
  
~~~~  
  
Dawn dropped the note in pure shook. How could her parents do that? How could they possibly throw out their oldest daughter and the man they'd agree to let live with them for a year?  
  
She tapped the on button on her CD player and cranked up the volume to maximum. The new Placebo album filled the house with drums and guitar. Dawn didn't care if she woke her parents up. Music made her feel alive and happy and right now she needed it that loud to drown out the thought in her mind.  
  
The thought of those little black stamps that Faith had given her a while back; tads, she had called them. After promising Buffy and Spike that she would never take drugs again she had shoved them in the back of a draw. But they weren't here and wouldn't know if she took them.  
  
She slowly opened the draw and rummaged around the draw until she found the little clear packet the stamps were in.  
  
The little spider pictures on them glared at her as if they knew she was doing something wrong. Dawn shook off the bad feeling and placed one of the little squares on the tip of her tongue. It instantly melted away.  
  
Dawn stood completely still. She didn't think it worked, she felt completely normal; not even a little dizzy.  
  
*Maybe it was too old to work?* Dawn thought. She shrugged and flopped on the bed, letting the music wash over her and take her in to a new world of pain and drums.  
  
The drums grew louder and louder until all she could hear was the steady beat. It sounded almost tribal, the kind of drums you get on old cowboys and indians movies. She didn't recognise the track on the CD at all. She tried to sit up back when she did the colours went all swirly and the posters covering every inch of the walls all merged.  
  
The posters not only merged into one and other but into life as well. The monsters and demons, the Slipknot and Mushroomhead faces, they all jumped out at her, bringing out a new side of darkness the Dawn had never seen before. The scary side.  
  
The faces grinned evilly. Some glaring at her, some bearing weapons, knifes and bodies. The sound of their cackling laughter filled the room. The drums grew faster and faster and the demons nearer and nearer.  
  
Dawn didn't know what to do. She couldn't run, the world was too bendy and unreal. She tired to close her eyes but the images were still there. They were everywhere, surrounding her, swallowing her in a mass of evil and death and dark.  
  
"Help!" She cried out, but no one heard not even Dawn herself.  
  
There was nothing she could do. The demons would take her and it would be the end. She curled up into a tiny ball, her hands shielding her head from the din of the laughing and drums.  
  
Dawn had no idea how long she sat there with nothing to do but listen to the terrifying noises going on all around her. But when the drums softened and the demons died and Dawn finally peaked up from her arm protection the early morning sunlight was just starting to pour through the open curtain. 


	23. Unwanted Help

Unwanted Help  
  
Over the next few weeks Buffy and Spike remained going to school and living in Willow's summer house. Willow's parents were completely cool about the whole situation and had welcomed the two throw outs with open arms.  
  
Buffy hadn't heard from Dawn once. She hadn't replied to any of her text messages or phone calls. Buffy figured she was mad at them for leaving with out saying a proper goodbye.  
  
It had been a hard three weeks and neither of them had really bothered doing any homework assignments. This wasn't anything unusual for Spike but Buffy normally put in a bit of effort.  
  
That was why she was now stuck outside the student counsellors office, waiting for her turn to be marched down death row.  
  
The door swung open and a middle-aged man stepped out of the office.  
  
"Miss Summers, do come in." He welcomed her in. Buffy had never seen the counsellor before. He was quite old, had large framed glasses and spoke with an upper class British accent. He waited until she was seated before introducing himself. "My name is Mr Giles, I assume you know why you've been sent to see me."  
  
"Yes," Buffy answered sharply as she sat down. "Because my grades are slipping."  
  
"Very good," he praised her. Why Buffy did not know. "So why do you think this had been happening?"  
  
Buffy shrugged her shoulders. If she didn't have a choice about being here, the least she could do was give him as harder time as possible.  
  
"Has everything been alright at school?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
"What about friends? Have you fallen out with them?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Do you do any extra-curriculum activities that could be taking up all your time?" She could tell that he was already getting annoyed with her short answers.  
  
"I'm head cheer-leader?" Buffy shrugged. "But that's all."  
  
Mr Giles removed his glasses, polished them then replaced them. He took a deep breath then turned to face Buffy again.  
  
"Is everything ok at home?"  
  
"I don't live at home." Buffy raised an eyebrow.  
  
Giles clicked about on his computer. "But it says on your record that you live with your parents."  
  
"I did." Buffy didn't like where this was going.  
  
"You ran away?"  
  
"God, why do adults always think it's the teens fault? No, I didn't run away, they chucked me out!"  
  
He blinked a few time, repeated the procedure of cleaning his glasses and coughed. "They threw you out? Why?"  
  
"Because I'm in love with our exchange student, Spike."  
  
He nodded and wrote a few things down on the notebook on the desk. "And where are you living now?"  
  
"At my friend Willow's house," Buffy replied. "We live in the summer house at the bottom of the tennis courts."  
  
"And do you want to go back to living with them?"  
  
"I would like to. To see my little sister again. Although my parents probably wouldn't notice if I moved back in."  
  
"Why do you say this?" He asked.  
  
"Well, they didn't notice that Spike and I were a couple for about. three months, even them it was because I told them. And they didn't notice we had a homeless girl, Tara, living in our house at all."  
  
"So they're not home very often?" This case was getting more and more complex by the minute.  
  
Buffy nodded. Damn, she's just told him near enough everything. She didn't want his help or need it. Things were fine.  
  
"Can I go now?" Buffy asked, standing up. She didn't wait for him to answer before leaving the room.  
  
*What a strange girl* Mr Giles thought to himself before picking up the phone. 


	24. Kelly

Kelly  
  
Buffy lay in the large king-size bed later that night. She couldn't sleep. All she could think about is why her parents haven't tried to contact her. Even more, why Dawnie hasn't.  
  
Spike slept peacefully beside her. The sound of his breathing filled the room. Buffy watched him in awe, trying to memorise ever single scar and crease on his face. They had less than six month's left until he would be leaving and there is no was that her parent's were going to fund her to finish the 'exchange' part of this deal.  
  
Spike looked so calm in his sleep. Like the trouble's of the world were closed behind shut gates for those few hours of each day.  
  
But tonight his peace was interrupted. His face screwed up and his looks of happiness changed to looks of fear and anger.  
  
"No!" He cried out as he started tossing and turning; sending the bed covers flying everywhere.  
  
"Spike, it's ok," Buffy said, trying not to panic at her boyfriend's sudden fit. He'd only just left his wheelchair and didn't need to injure himself again. "It's only a dream. Just a dream."  
  
He didn't hear her desperate calls. Her tossed and turned, mumbling.  
  
"No! Get away from her!"  
  
"Spike, it's just a nightmare! I'm here and I'm fine!"  
  
"Kelly!" Spike cried as he bolted up. He sat panting, beads of sweat pouring from his forehead.  
  
Buffy couldn't help but feeling jealous, he was having dreams about other girls! She felt a rush of panic, what if Kelly was Spike's girlfriend back in England?  
  
"It was just a dream," she reassured him, slipping her arm round his waist, hugging him tightly.  
  
"I'm sorry if I scared you," he said shakily. Spike rubbed his eyes and brushed his fingers through his hair.  
  
"Who's Kelly?"  
  
Spike turned to look at his girlfriend and smiled slightly.  
  
"She was my best friend back in England," he explained. "Why jealous, pet?"  
  
"Of course not!" Buffy lied.  
  
"I never went out with her if that's what you wanted to know. We were best mates since we were six."  
  
"What happened?" Buffy didn't think this story had a happy ending. "You keep saying 'was'."  
  
"When she was fourteen some idiot knocked her up, the kid was adopted by the father who turned out not to be sixteen as he'd said but twenty two."  
  
"How awful!"  
  
"That's not the worst part." Tears started to creep into the corners of Spike's eyes but he fought them; he never cried. "When she was sixteen she died. Murdered."  
  
Buffy put her hand over her mouth in surprise. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry." She hugged Spike tightly. He hugged her back; needing the love and comfort she brought to him. "How did-"  
  
"Cricket bat." He answered before she could finish.  
  
"How did they get away with it?" Buffy couldn't believe that the world could be so bad. Sure bad thing's happened, but all to one person. Right?  
  
"Nobody cares about kids in care, especially in the part of London I grew up in and one who hasn't been fostered in ten years. She was just one less kid to check in at night."  
  
"That's so sad."  
  
"Thing's happen," he shrugged. "Now why don't we get some sleep?"  
  
Buffy nodded and snuggled up to his chest when he'd lay down. Neither of them really slept again that night. Spike's brain was drowning in the memories of his best friend. Buffy kept replaying Spike's words. How could a world that seemed so wonderful be so bad?  
  
~~~  
  
The other side of town a frightened eleven year old sat alone in her room. Curled up on her bed, trying to hide from the monsters that regularly visited her world. 


	25. My Monsters

My Monsters  
  
"Shit," Buffy swore. Her key didn't fit in her patio door anymore. "They really don't want us back."  
  
She sighed and started the climb the trellis a bit further. She had to see Dawn, to make sure that she was alright. She jumped and landed on the balcony above with a thud.  
  
Buffy knocked on the door leading to Dawn's bedroom sharply. She didn't even wait for a reply before opening the door and marching inside  
  
Dawn was lying on her back on the bed, starring up at the ceiling. She didn't even look over when Buffy shut the door behind her.  
  
"Dawn?" No reply.  
  
"Dawn?" She peered into her eyes. Dawn smiled dreamily.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Dawnie, what is wrong with you?"  
  
"My monster's behind you," she replied in the same dreamy voice, ignoring the question.  
  
Buffy span round as an instant reflex; there was nothing there.  
  
"You can't see it," Dawn laughed. "You didn't take it."  
  
Buffy's face fell. "What did you take?"  
  
The eleven year old stood up and started dancing to the Iron Maiden song Run to the Hills which was playing in the background.  
  
"What did you take?" Buffy yelled, suddenly not caring if her parents heard. "you promised me, and Spike, that you wouldn't take any more drugs!"  
  
"I did?" dawn wrinkled her nose up. "Oh yeah, well you weren't here. Nobody was here."  
  
"I wanted to be here -"  
  
"You can do anything you want," Dawn butted in, still dancing to the music. "That's what my monster told me and it's always here. Whether I want it or- "  
  
Dawn froze. She starred at the blank space in front of her. Frantically, she started swiping the air.  
  
"Go away!" She screamed. "Get out! Get out! Get out!"  
  
Buffy starred in shock, what the hell was Dawn doing? It wasn't coke. This time it was mushrooms or acid. She grabbed hold of her younger sister and span her round  
  
"You are coming with me!" Buffy ordered.  
  
"Ok little pixie!" Dawn followed Buffy down the stairs, skipping happily.  
  
There was no way that buffy was going to risk climbing down the trellis with Dawn like this. She'd have to risk running into her parents. 


	26. Truth Or Dare

Chapter 26 - Truth or Dare  
  
"I'm bored," Kendra cried, throwing her head back against Xander's shoulder.  
  
"Me too," Buffy added, slumping closer into Spike's shoulder.  
  
"Me three." The gang gave Xander a glare but were too bored to start an argument.  
  
They were all sitting in the lounge of the Rosenburg summerhouse where Spike, Buffy and now Dawn lived.  
  
"We could watch a movie?" Tara suggested, fiddling with Willow's hair. The two girls had been a couple for several weeks now. The rest of the gang was a bit shocked at first but they were now fine with it.  
  
"Can't," Buffy said apologetically. "Last time we did that Dawn sneaked out and got high."  
  
There was an awkward silence, only the sound of the pouring November rain could be heard crashing onto the roof. The rain had been coming down slowly all day but as soon as night fell it really started to pour.  
  
"Hey."  
  
The gang turned round to the doorway; stood there, draped in a blanket, was Dawn. The plaits had been taken out of her black hair; it had taken her hours but it had given her something to do.  
  
"Hi Dawnie," Buffy greeted her younger sister as she sat down on a spare stool.  
  
"So, what you guys doing?" The eleven-year-old felt awful, she hadn't taken anything in days, not even a few sniffs of glue or tippex, and she needed something and hated these people for not letting her have it! But she had to be nice to Buffy and her friends. They were trying to help her, even if it did mean she lost her social life and made her feel ratty.  
  
"We were just deciding what to do," Angel explained. "Any ideas?"  
  
Dawn thought for a second before saying, "when we get bored at the club, we play truth or dare." She starred at her lap at the mention of her bad, yet much missed, friends  
  
"Great idea!" Xander jumped up excitedly. His face fell when he saw the disapproving looks on his friends' face; sometimes he was too hyperactive and jumpy for their liking. "Come on you guys, when was the last time we some good ol' T or D?"  
  
"Ok, Xander," Cordelia smirked. "I dare you to keep your mouth shut and not make a sound for five while minutes."  
  
Xander clamped his mouth shut and flopped back down into his seat, arms crossed and in a sulky mood.  
  
"While we're waiting, Cordy, truth or dare?" Willow asked.  
  
"Truth," the brunette answered automatically.  
  
Willow thought for a second before saying, "how far have you and Angel gone?"  
  
Cordy's mouth dropped open in embarrassment, she peered over at Angel to make sure he didn't mind her telling. He nodded at her, clearly not minding at all. "Third base."  
  
There were giggles and murmured chatter from the six girls and catcalls from the three guys.  
  
"Xander, you mad a noise!" Dawn pointed out. "Now you have to do a double dare!"  
  
Xander cursed loudly. Cordelia grinned, she had the best idea ever.  
  
Five minutes later, a very unamused Xander was sitting there wearing a pink skirt and yellow floral shirt found at the back of Buffy's wardrobe. This, teamed up with strappy high heals and make up, made him look completely ridiculous.  
  
"Buffy, truth or dare?" Kendra asked, trying not to laugh at the expression on her boyfriend's face.  
  
"Um... dare," Buffy decided.  
  
"I dare you to hold a whole tray of ice cubes in your hands until they all melt."  
  
~~~~  
  
Half an hour later the questions and dares had became more and more adventurous and outrageous. Already, Angel had eaten and entire jar of mustard, Kendra had her face painted like a clown in felt tip pens, Dawn had swapped clothes with Buffy and Willow had deep-throated a banana. They were just some of the nights antics!  
  
"Spike," Xander turned to the blond. "Truth or dare?"  
  
"Truth," Spike replied coolly. Last time he choose dare he'd ended up drinking an entire pint of milk without pausing to breathe. Now that's an experience you never want a repeat of.  
  
The brunette could not help feeling disappointed, he had thought of some truly terrible things for the older teenager to carry out.  
  
"How did you get your nickname?" Not the best of truths, Xander would be the first to admit. Or so he thought.  
  
Spike's eyes bulged slightly and his jaw dropped, he knew that the dreaded question would be asked sometime, but he'd prayed it wouldn't be infront of the whole bloody scooby gang!  
  
"When I was 'bout seven," he began grudgingly. "There were these two kids at my Home. Tom was the older one and he always picked on Jerry. I stuck up for Jerry."  
  
Xander couldn't help burst out laughing. "You're I'm-so-tough-nickname is after a cartoon dog!"  
  
"Yes," Spike said through gritted teeth. Why did hr have to tell the truth? He could have made up some shit about nicking railroad spikes or something.  
  
Spike's confirmation of Xander's outburst made the whole gang join in the laughter. Spike bit his lip, trying to stop himself from doing what his instincts were telling him, giving the whelp a knuckle sandwich.  
  
He waited and waited but the laughter never ceased. He was disappointed in Buffy for laughing at him he would have hoped that she of all people, the one person in his life he had ever felt close to, would understand.  
  
"Fuck it!" Spike yelled, standing up. "Fuck it! Fuck the lot of you!" He grabbed his duster that was hanging on the back of the door and ran.  
  
Buffy immediately stopped. She had had no idea how embarrassed Spike was by the meaning of his name and how offended was from her laughing. She left her friends to carry on laughing and ran out the door trying to catch up to her pissed off boyfriend, ignoring the fact that she didn't have any shoes on. 


	27. Second Chance

I just wanna say thank you for all the reviews. For at story that I've written and uploaded each chapter as the idea has came into my head it's not turning out badly. Plus, the story now has a prologue and a sequel, which will be coming soon...  
  
Chapter 27 – Second Chance  
  
"Spike, wait!" Buffy called as she charged after him. He ignored her and carried on stomping through the garden. "Spike!"  
  
"Fuck off!" he replied, not even bothering to turn around.  
  
"Spike!" Her foot became stuck in a murky brown puddle causing her ankle to twist and her whole leg to collapse. "Spike!"  
  
He turned round to face her. "What?" He wasn't sure if it was rain running down his face or tears. He suspected a mixture of both.  
  
"I'm sorry," she apologised meekly. "I didn't know you where so touchy about-"  
  
"I don't want your sympathy or your apologises, Buffy!" He shouted back. "Do you even know why I'm here?"  
  
"Because I laughed at you?" Buffy answered, slightly confused.  
  
"No, HERE, in Sunnydale, in America."  
  
"You're an exchange student."  
  
"No, I'm not," he admitted, holding out his hand to pull her out of the degrading puddle. "I'm not here for an exchange and I stopped being a student nearly two years ago. "Exchange Student is what they called it your end but I was told this is my Second Chance, a chance to make something of my life. But instead I come here and get hated, ignored, blown up, thrown away and ridiculed."  
  
"I'm sorry, Spike, but-" he cut her off again.  
  
"I don't want to hear it, Buffy!" He dropped her, sending her splashing back into the puddle. "I'm leaving, next flight out of here and I'm gone for ever."  
  
Buffy sobbed uselessly as she watched Spike walk out on her. She watched until he had long disappeared into the woods at the back of the house. She stood up shakily, testing her weakened ankle. She wasn't some kind of pathetic cry baby. She was Buffy and she wasn't going to let the only person who she had ever loved walk right out of her life because of some stupid game of truth or dare.  
  
~~~~  
  
"Now boarding flight AMA27, Sunnydale to London Heathrow at gate number 5," a woman announced over a loud speaker. Spike stood up and looked one last time. This was it. His last time in America for, well, probably forever.  
  
Buffy pushed her way through the crowds. She needed to find him and she needed to find him now! She wasn't going to let the first good thing in her life just walk out on her. Slightly too late, she realised that it was pointless trying to search the crowds, she was too short. She needed to be higher.  
  
Buffy spotted the check in desks not too far from where she was standing. A few more pushes and shoves and she was there. She climbed up onto the desk, ignoring the angry cries and shouts from not only the staff but the passengers as well.  
  
"Spike!" Buffy called out. "Spike!"  
  
Everybody had their eyes on her. But the person she was calling was not looking.  
  
Out of the corner of her eyes she spotted him. He was standing in the queue at the far end of the airport; waiting to go through the first security check. If he actually did get through before she could reach him then she wouldn't be able to follow and she would loose him forever.  
  
"Spike! Wait!" Buffy called, jumping off the desk and charging through the crowds. She didn't care who he pushed out the way or even if she knocked someone over. All she wanted was to get to him before he could get through the gate.  
  
Just as the person in front of Spike was let through Buffy reached. "Spike!"  
  
He turned round to see who was calling him. When he saw the petite blonde his eyes lit up. "Buffy!"  
  
She didn't stop running until she's ploughed into him, sending them back a few paces, and latched onto him. "I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry," she babbled.  
  
"Ssh, pet," he cooed, stroking her hair. It didn't matter to him that she'd laughed at him and hurt his feelings. She was sorry enough to come running after him and get in such a state at the thought of loosing him. "It's ok, I'm here."  
  
"You can't leave me," she said rather pathetically. "Please don't leave me. Take this as my second chance."  
  
Spike grinned and kissed her lightly. "I'm not going anywhere, pet. I don't have a ticket a my passport's at home."  
  
"Then...why...?" Buffy frowned.  
  
"I knew... I hoped you'd come after me. I was mad but I knew I couldn't go anywhere with out you. I'd miss you too much."  
  
A tiny smile flickered across Buffy's face. "Can we go home then?" she asked. "I'm kinda wet and muddy and... I still have Dawn's clothes on."  
  
"Let's go then, luv."  
  
He draped his arm around her shoulders and led the way back to the Summerhouse. 


	28. Rhythm

Rhythm  
  
"Dawn!" Buffy cursed as she parked her car in the car park at the back of the Rosenburg house. She rushed down the path that ran down the side of the tennis courts and round the pool to get to the summer house. The walls were practically thudding and thumping from the mass of music that rumbled through the house.  
  
Buffy struggled with the bags of groceries as she tried the find her key. She clicked the door open and dropped the bags in surprise as a blast of dangerously loud music hit her. If you could call it music.  
  
"Dawn!" she cried out, gathering the shopping back up. "Dawn! Turn that down right now!" She stormed through the house, dumping the brown paper bags in the kitchen on her way to the lounge.  
  
Dawn was sprawled out on the lounge floor, eyes closed with a happy little smile on her face.  
  
Buffy clambered over her little sister to switch off the accursed music.  
  
The house filled with a silence in a split second. It took Dawn a moment to realise that it had been switched off.  
  
"What was that for?" she asked.  
  
"That was WAY too loud!" Buffy replied, completely outraged. !I could here it from the car hold!"  
  
"But I was enjoying it," Dawn replied. "It's fun, you should try it some time."  
  
"Try what?"  
  
"I'll show you." Dawn crawled across the floor and patted the rug, signalling for Buffy to sit down with her.  
  
"But-"  
  
"Just do it!" she snapped.  
  
Buffy nodded and followed her sisters request. Dawn was still a bit edgy from not having anything for a couple of months. That was nothing at all; no cigarettes, drugs, alcohol or glue.  
  
"Now, close your eyes and relax." Dawn leant over and flicked the CD back on. The HIM song 'Funeral of Hearts' filled the house. "Now you gotta move to the beat."  
  
Buffy watched in awe as her sister lay down and moved and wriggled to the slow, mournful beat of the rock music. Her hands intertwined round her black hair as her legs stretched, raised and then bent again. She carried on watching this weird dance for a while before joining in.  
  
She was surprised how relaxing it felt, how easily and fluidly her body moved to the music that she'd previously considered as just hideous noise.  
  
The song finished and instead of skipping to the next track the CD stopped. The sisters sat up in confusion.  
  
"Very interesting dancing, pet," Spike said, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Spike!" Buffy jumped. "How long have you been here?"  
  
"Long enough," he smirked. "Didn't want to disturb you. You were both so into it."  
  
Buffy started to pat her hair back into place. "Right... I'd better go unpack the groceries."  
  
"Already done that," Spike grinned. "I've been watching you two make fools of yourselves for quite some time."  
  
"Don't dis' it 'til you've tried it!" Dawn snapped. She grabbed the CD out of the player and stormed upstairs. 


	29. Nightmare Before Christmas

Chapter Twenty-Nine – Nightmare Before Christmas  
  
Spike glanced in the shop windows as he wandered hopelessly round the Sunnydale Mall. The entire mall was full of guys just like him – looking for the perfect Christmas gifts for their girlfriends, wives or partners.  
  
"Having trouble?" he heard a voice behind him ask.  
  
He turned round. "Yes, as a matter of fact!" he snapped at Kendra.  
  
"Let me guess, you left Buffy's present too late?" she said with a slight smug grin.  
  
"Do you ever get tired of being wrong?" Spike said sarcastically. "Anyway, what are you supposed to get a girl who already has everything she could ever want."  
  
"Buffy doesn't have everything," Kendra replied. "She doesn't have a boyfriend with a good hairstyle for one thing."  
  
"Oh, and I suppose Xander's hair is the height of fashion." Spike started to walk away. He didn't need one of Buffy's little friends wasting his much needed shopping time.  
  
"Do you want some help?" Kendra called after him. Spike froze in his track. Had she just offered to help him?  
  
"Why?" he asked suspiciously.  
  
"Because this will be the first Christmas Buffy's been with people who love her and I don't want you to ruin it by buying her something lame." She folder her arms and tapped her $200 shoes, waiting for him to say yes.  
  
"Alright then," he said through clenched teeth. *This*, he thought, *is going to be the most degrading hour of my life.*  
  
~~~  
  
Two hours later Spike had only picked up one thing - a headache, from Kendra's constant babbling (which often switched into a language that Spike didn't understand, it sound like Spanish).  
  
"You know what?" he said. "I think I've had enough shopping for today. You may leave."  
  
"But we haven't even gone to the second floor yet," she protested.  
  
"Yeah, but I think I have a good idea what to get her," he lied, ushering her away.  
  
"What?" She rooted herself to the floor.  
  
"If I told you it wouldn't a be a surprise, would it? Now, bye bye." He gave her a little wave and walked off before she could say anything else.  
  
"Well it better be good," Kendra yelled after him. "I don't wanna have Buffy crying on the phone all day because you've upset her."  
  
Spike rolled his eyes. Was it even possible for Kendra to think of anyone rather than herself.  
  
But now he was even more stuck. Every idea he'd had Kendra had thought of the perfect reason for him not to buy it; and for once she actually made sense.  
  
First he'd thought jewellery, earrings or something like that. But Kendra had said Buffy might get her hopes up that it was an engagement ring. Then he'd thought of clothes but Buffy was so picky and had so many. Finally he'd looked at giant teddy-bears but Kendra had pointed out that their summer house wasn't big enough for a seven foot bear.  
  
So now he was back at square one. He was back from square one. He was at square negative three!  
  
This had to be a Christmas that Buffy would remember for ever. Something that everyone would be talking about for the rest of the year.  
  
It was hard to think of something to make a happy Christmas Day when he'd never had one himself. Children's homes weren't exactly the route of all happiness.  
  
But there had been one year. One year when Spike was about nine. It was when Kelly was still alive and still herself. He remembered having the happiest day of his life that day. It didn't matter that they didn't have real presents or that the turkey was burnt because he had his best friend and one other important factor.  
  
Snow. 


End file.
